Animas Forks Ghost Town
Animas Forks
A 19th-century mining ghost town at 3,400 meters, with several wooden houses and an ore-processing mill preserved. It is the most popular stop on the Alpine Loop.
Animas Forks was built in the 1870s and once had about 450 residents. It was abandoned in the 1920s as the mining industry declined. Now maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, it preserves more than a dozen wooden buildings, including the Duncan House with its bay window, the most photogenic of them, along with the remains of a large ore-processing mill. Visitors may enter some of the buildings freely. It is about 20 kilometers along the county road from Silverton, or about 2 hours from Ouray via Engineer Pass, and requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle. From the Silverton side, most high-clearance vehicles can reach it in summer. Admission is free.
Opening hours
All day in summer
Nearby sights
- Alpine Loop & Engineer Pass
- Ironton Ghost Town
- Million Dollar Highway
- Bear Creek Falls
- Ouray Perimeter Trail
- Ouray Ice Park
- Cascade Falls
- Wiesbaden Hot Springs